Albany Texas History:
In 1874, the site was selected to be the new Shackelford County seat, replacing the Fort Griffin County seat. Henry C. Jacobs, the first sheriff, donated the townsite. William Cruder named the town after his hometown of Albany, Georgia. The sale of town lots was held in August, 1875 and within months the town had its first general store. The town became a supply point for cattle drivers on the Western Trail to Dodge City. When the Texas Central Railroad arrived in 1881 the town became a shipping point for cattle. Discovery of the Cook oilfield in 1926 and later oil discoveries have made Albany an industry supply center. Ranching continues to be an important part of the town's economy. Since 1920, the town slogan has been "Albany, the Home of the Hereford." Albany is located at the intersections of SH 6, U.S. 180 and U.S. 283, 37 miles east of Anson, 37 miles southeast of Stamford, 34 miles southwest of Throckmorton, 61 miles southwest of Graham, 24 miles west of Breckenridge, 44 miles northwest of Ranger, 34 miles northwest of Cisco, 31.5 miles northeast of Clyde, 26 miles northeast of Baird, 51 miles northeast of Buffalo Gap, and 35 miles northeast of Abilene, Texas.

Texas Plains Trail Region:
The 52-county Texas Plains Trail Region includes the Texas Panhandle and Plains. It stretches from the Texas towns of Big Spring and Colorado City in the southern portion of the region, to Muleshoe and the New Mexico state border in the west, to Quanah and Knox City in the east, and to the top of the Texas Panhandle, from Dalhart in the west to Lipscomb in the east. The Texas Plains Trail Region organization is a nonprofit heritage tourism organization affiliated with the Texas Historical Commission. TPTR acts as an economic development initiative that helps Texas communities to promote their historic and cultural resources and increase tourism to their areas. The organization helps promote travel to heritage destinations and historic sites. A name repeatedly mentioned in the history of West Texas is Cynthia Ann Parker, a young child captured during a raid on Fort Parker. She grew up among the Comanches, married Comanche chief Peta Nocona, and had three children, Pecos, Quanah and Prairie Flower. In 1860, a party of Texas Rangers led by Sul Ross, a future governor of Texas, rescued her and her infant daughter Prairie Flower; Charles Goodnight participated in this raid. Her son Quanah became famous as the last great War Chief of the Comanche. One of TPTR’s most visible recent projects is the Quanah Parker Trail. When the project is completed, giant Quanah Parker arrow markers will have been installed in all 52 counties in the Texas Plains Trail Region. Some counties will have more than one installation. The arrows were created and donated by New Home, Texas, artist Charles Smith. As of early 2014, over 70 arrows had been installed in almost 50 counties. Each arrow will have a plaque giving pertinent historical information. (806) 747-1997. P.O. Box 88, Lubbock, Texas 79408. EmailTexas Plains Trail Map

Shackelford County Courthouse, 1883:
The limestone courthouse was designed in second empire style by architect J.E. Flanders. The 2010 Shackelford County census was 3,378. (325) 762-2232. 225 South Main Street.

Shackelford County Jail, 1877-1878:
The jail was designed and built by the architect John Thomas of Fort Worth at a cost of $9,000; the cost outraged the local taxpayers. Scottish stonemasons carved their initials into the building's large limestone blocks, in order to ensure payment for work done once the fledgling county was solvent. You can easily see why the building was known for several decades as "the alphabet jail." The "M" and the "E" are known to be the initials of stone masons named McGuire and Emery, while the "X" and the triangle are thought to be the marks of illiterate stone masons. The jail is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Historic Train Depot:
This was the town’s third depot. It now houses the chamber of commerce. (325) 762-2525. 2 Railroad Street.